Money, money, money

If anyone tells you there`s a recession on at the moment then they are talking Bollocks. Believe me. Having spent a week in Monaco for the Grand Prix there is certainly money floating about here, and most of it is, quiet literally floating.

If you take a look around the Monaco Harbour every last inch is crammed with over-polished white fibreglass and gold. These are not just normal yachts, or even super yachts these are Mega yachts. The average price of which is somewhere between 140-200 Million US Dollars. If you then consider that Monaco harbour is home to around 50 of these mega yachts over the Grand Prix weekend then we are talking about 9 Billion Dollars of value just floating around in the harbour.

This 9 billion dollars is then providing the background for 24 drivers to race their priceless cars around for about 2 hours on a Sunday.
Between these 24 drivers their total wage bill for the year is around 120 Million Dollars.

If you add up the value of the cars parked outside the Monaco Casino it would still be a fairly substantial figure, never mind the money that is trading hands inside the casino. And that is just the cost of buying a drink.

And then the total running costs of all F1 teams each year is around 3 Billion dollars.
Money really is not an issue around here.

This is all very well especially as I believe that I had the best seat in the house during the race on Sunday. To watch F1 cars at speed around the narrow streets of Monaco is super impressive, especially from the close quarters that we are permitted as F1 photographers.
The super-wealthy on their yachts get a fairly poor view. Most of them give up and sit in their Jacuzzis watching the race on the tv. Most of the sponsors and shareholders watch from the F1 paddock club or a hotel balcony over the circuit. The die hard (and still fairly wealthy) fans watch from grandstands behind safety fencing.

But I have the best ticket in the place. I started my race at the iconic Lowes Hairpin (yes I know it`s not called that anymore and I don`t care) then into the tunnel, before catching the action at the Nouvell Chicane, I walked back past the gin palaces and stopped briefly at the swimming pool chicane and then positioned myself in time for a front row seat at the podium presentation.

It`s not all glitz and glamour in Monaco and it certainly isn`t the prettiest place on the planet.
You do feel that you have entered God`s waiting room and you have to be constantly aware of where you are treading so as to avoid the Chihuahua shit that is ever-present on every street corner.

But to be honest who cares?

For this one week each year rules don`t matter. You can spend as much money as you like, you can wear ridiculous fashions, you can hang out with even bigger egos than your own, you can be more exuberant and outrageous than anyone else. You can bathe in Veuve Clicquot, have caviar on your cornflakes, you can do whatever you like. It`s Monaco. And they are never going to create a new one!